Located east of San Diego in La Mesa, Hoffer’s Cigar Bar blends a large variety of craft beers with a pair of walk-in humidors stuffed from floor to ceiling.  While you can’t smoke in the bar, you can outside.

The back half of the store is all patio- it’s long and narrow with comfortable furniture and heating/cooling systems for when the weather is less than perfect (not often), and is usually occupied by at least a handful of regulars.  Ranging from navy officers to businessmen, it’s tough to not be in a good mood when surrounded by great weather, great beer and great cigars!

Hoffer’s Cigar Bar is located at 8282 La Mesa Blvd.  La Mesa, CA 91942  Or you can visit them online at www.hofferscigar.com.

As you walk in the store, you’re struck by the beautiful humidors, accessories, knives, watches, lighters and men’s toys that fill the room.  It may sound cluttered, but everything is neatly in its’ place, and there’s plenty of room to move around.

The humidor boasts a good selection of premium and boutique cigars at reasonable prices, and the hidden lounge at the back of the store is perfect.  Cozy and dark with a large tv and low leather chairs, it’s the sort of place that begs for you to spend the rest of the day there.

Huckleberry’s is located at 627 Silver Spur Rd., #100A in Rolling Hills, CA.  www.huckleberryspen.com

Cigar Oasis is not a new shop, but it is under new management.  Wayne took over a short
while ago, and set about restoring the shop to its’ potential.  The cash register has been moved and counter
shrunk, giving you more space to move about the front lounge.  The humidor is packed with name-brands, and
the whole place is clean and tastefully decorated.

The rear lounge is what Oasis was always known for, but it has been completely redone.  The worn
furniture and giant (dim) projector are gone, replaced with several small seating areas and well placed flat-screen TV’s.

A good lounge made great, Cigar Oasis is a welcome retreat from the Big Box stores and hustle of the OC lifestyle.

Cigar Oasis is located at 26841 Aliso Creek Rd., #B, Aliso Viejo, CA.

Gerard recently re-arranged his small shop in Laguna Niguel, and what a difference chair placement can make.
You walk in to a small seating area, with plenty of great accessories in unobtrusive cases.  The wall is full of
hookah and accessories, but the large humidor beacons.

Occupying a full half (half!) of the available floor, the humidor contains a massive selection of extremely premium and hard-to-find
cigars.  Gerard is all too happy to direct you and make recommendations, and the clientele are friendly and, for
the most part, transitory.  If you choose to sit in one of the comfortable chairs and watch some tv, it’s as if you own
the shop.

A great spot for great cigars, OC Cigars is one of those places you should aim for when you just want to relax.

OC Cigars is located at 27311 La Paz Rd., #H, Laguna Niguel, CA.

Set in a sleepy shopping center, Cigar Zone is the small, intimate shop that we all dream of owning one day.  A steady flow of regulars insures that there will always be someone to chat with, and the wood-paneled walls give the place a warmth that’s lacking in many larger lounges.

Extremely active in the social networking communities, Ted certainly knows cigars- and his humidor shows it.  Stuffed to the gills with everything you could want at extremely fair prices, he’s all too happy to compare notes on any cigar you can think of, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the cigar business in SoCal.

If you want a relaxed, neighborhood experience, Cigar Zone is the place to settle in.

Cigar Zone is located at 3900 E. Thousand oaks Blvd. #202, Thousand Oaks, CA.  www.thecigarzone.com

A large shop, NK makes great use of its long, L-shaped layout by having several intimate, distinct seating areas, a giant TV in the far corner, and a pool table right in the center of the lounge.  Around the outside there is plenty of outdoor seating, and a parade of shoppers to watch.

The humidor is well-stocked, and boasts a house-blend made by the same guys who produce the Grand Habano line.  A full Nicaraguan cigar, we found it pleasantly medium-bodied with a full, peppery taste.

As the ace up its sleeve, the owner Kumar shows off his knowledge of fine wine, beer and booze with a wall of liquor, as well as the requisite beer and wine license.  Escape from the heat, grab a drink, and settle in to this treasure.

NK Cigar Lounge is located at 2803 Agoura Road, Westlake Village, CA.  www.nkcigarlounge.com

Fast forward a year and a half and we’ve been derelict in our return.  After all, Granada Hills is so far from Long Beach (more on this later).  Fortunately we were drawn recently for a boutique cigar manufacturer’s event, and managed to surprise ourselves.

Gone are the small humidor and intimate seating, replaced by a large, spacious humidor (still very well stocked and priced) and super-sized lounge.  Following the lead of other shops, the owner Ashley decided to expand into the space next door and allocate a full 60% of his space to lounge seating.  Several TV’s and seating areas are laid out to make the large space conducive to conversations and meetings, as well as a tastefully decorated semi-private meeting room in the back.  It’s clear that Ashley set out with the intention to make his locally well-known shop into a regionally well-known shop.  Count me as an impressed believer.

The Cigar Lounge has always been known for its’ pricing, selection and strong contingent of regulars, but if the event the other night was any indication, Ash knows how to throw a party.  There were snacks on every flat surface, as well as hot food in the back.  The traditional “buy three get one” deals on the featured line of cigars, in addition to the Philly Cheesesteak Truck and a Sushi Truck parked outside the shop dishing up extraordinarily good food- especially considering they arrived on wheels!

The real lesson I took away was on the drive home.  A 40-minute blast on the 405 is nothing for us Angelinos, and The Cigar Lounge is certainly worth the short trip.  I can’t say that I’ll be back on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but I can certainly see myself making the pilgrimage to the valley a weekend a month.

The Cigar Lounge is located at 17545 Chatsworth Street, Granada Hills, CA 91344

An old, comfortable shop, Tobacco Barn has long been known as a mecca for Orange County pipe smokers, and boasts a large selection of cigars at competitive prices.  The only let-down was their lounge.  Small, dark and oddly placed, it was never inviting.  No more.

The old lounge has been turned into a shipping department, and the shop has expanded aggressively.  They took over the space next to them, added a door between the two sides in the back of the shop, and doubled their size.  And the best part?  The entire new half of the store is the lounge.

With nearly 30 seats, a massive projection TV with 3 others hung throughout the lounge, 2 dart boards and a shuffleboard table, Tobacco Barn boasts one of the largest lounges in Southern California- only the Grand Havana Room in Beverly Hills and “888” in Fullerton rival the Barn.

If you’re south of the El Toro Marine base, Tobacco Barn is a must-visit.  It’s nice to see a company put its’ money where its’ mouth is.  They deserve their 40-year old reputation.

Tobacco Barn is located at